Rally Jamaica 2015: Simon Jean-Joseph – Part 2

In a world littered with underachieving, egocentric, neophytes, an encounter with a composed, charismatic, sociable and accomplished rallysport driver, is rather refreshing. When Simon exited the vehicle, he was ambushed by the TVJ crew. A few words were traded and he returned to the machine. An interview was conducted and photos were taken. When the TVJ crew departed, he was greeted by some of the fans and a few questions were thrown at him. Recognising the obvious interest some fans had, Simon chose to gain comfort. He walked a few paces from the R5′s tent and established an office next to a parked car.

I listened as he responded to the questions. Simon is a double European rally champion and a French rally champion who has been to the summit of the sport – driving for a works/factory team and despite the absence of an official press detail, he was at ease and at home in a Jamaican parking lot, shifting through questions posed by the common-man, faster than the sequential component in the M-Sport R5 would allow! His knowledge of the sport, his professionalism and his ambassadorial attire shone, as he revolved, expertly and with decorum, between English and French each time he was addressed, from a distance, by a member of his French-speaking associates.

I stood to his right. I chose a moment after he had answered a question and paused.  I sought his opinion about the R5 in terms of its Rally Jamaica 2015 performance and its capabilities moving forward. Body language, at times, says a lot more than the spoken word. His facial expressions – illuminated by memories of volts/watts of deep-seated pleasure, while ripping through the gravel stages , his gesticulating hands, portraying the behaviour of the explosive machine and his self-assured demeanor spoke volumes in favor of the 2015 Ford Fiesta R5.

NACAM

His spoken words kept pace with his rapidly changing actions. He suggested that, in terms of value for money, dependent on the available budget and he made reference to the WRC machines and the NACAM Fiestas, the Ford Fiesta R5 was the ideal compromise. He admitted though, that the machine was not at its optimum level for Rally Jamaica 2015. He indicated that he would have preferred some changes in the suspension settings, but, based on the time he had and what was available, the team was not able to arrive at that which was desired.

When prodded about the power the machine had, its delivery and the attitude of the machine on the stages, he came alive – again. He admitted that the power was not at the level of its more mature sibling (WRC Ford Focus) and he suggested that the front-end ‘dive’ under heavy braking characteristic of the machine was somewhat typical of the current version -2015 Ford Fiesta R5. But, he was thrilled about how the machine went about scorching a blazing trail on the stages.

Ford Fiesta R5

He spoke about the fans on the stages. He made mention of entering and exiting the hairpins and the fact that fans were present at the hairpins on the stages. But, he had advice. He stated that there was not much to see, in terms of the versatility of the machine at the hairpins. He relived high speed sections of stages which gave the 2015 Ford Fiesta R5 the opportunity to chase terminal velocity and reveal its prowess – his hands indicating speed, behaviour and controlled direction change of the machine. His eyes glared like high beams, his words conveying childlike delight, when he spoke about being at the top of 6th gear – flat and approaching a distant turn. His account was vivid, his passion for the sport was real. His only regret, one which he bemoaned, was understandable – no one was present on those fast sections  of the stages to witness the machine at full song!

I spent approximately 10-20 minutes listening to Simon Jean-Joseph and when I left parc ferme to select my vantage point for the Downtown stages, I knew I had spoken to one of rallysport’s class act. Much respect sir. Looking forward to your return for Rally Jamaica 2016!

Cecil Munroe Gleaner On-Line Writer